Mars The Y.A.

Mars The Y.A. 2023 is a no age statement blended malt from Hombo Shuzo, combining spirit from Tsunuki in Kagoshima and Mars Shinshu in Nagano, bottled at cask strength for the global market. The Y.A. name references both distilleries and the annual release format allows the blend master to reflect the character of current stocks at each site.

Aged in Ex-Bourbon casks, this 2023 bottling at 49% shows a broad and layered profile: citric freshness and ripe fruit at the front, nutty grain depth and a vegetative earthiness in the middle, and smoke and a hint of tobacco on the finish. That smoky note suggests a peated component in the vatting. The interplay of Tsunuki's humid, southern-climate richness and the cooler, cleaner Mars Shinshu influence from the Central Alps gives The Y.A. its characteristic contrast of warmth and precision.